This weekend's yard sale roundup: lots of sales in our area

It's been a little while since I've written a yard sale roundup, a compendium of all the sales in our general area. So take a look and go pick up some goodies.

• 1129 Euclid St NW, Saturday 9/14 9:30am-1PM: big moving sale with stereo, jewelry, books, kitchen items, sporting goods, school supplies, and a whole lot more. Craigslist ad.

• 16th Street between Oak and Spring Pl, Sat 9-5, Sun 9-2. Another big moving sale, stereo, PS3 games, furniture, artwork, cookware, lots of books, tools. Craigslist ad.

• 3110 13th Street NW, Sat 9am-2pm: 2500 books, all at $1 a book! Yowsers. Craigslist ad.

• 1409 Longfellow St NW, Sun 7am-4pm. "LOTS of CUTE 20s-something women's clothing, books, DVDs, smaller furniture, etc." Craigslist ad.

•  5110 14th. Street, NW, Saturday and Sunday. "tons of stuff that needs to go, including kitchenware, computers/laptop, TV, patio chairs, books, PC games and many others." Craigslist ad.

Know of any more? Leave them in the comments!

The House strip club on Georgia Ave getting facade construction, no more GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS signs

The House, the seedy-looking strip club at 3530 Georgia Avenue NW, may be less seedy-looking in the future. The other day I was walking down Georgia and noticed their facade is covered in plywood and other construction material with a big sign that says "Pardon the construction, we are open" with a picture of a dancing girl on a pole. They've added some gables over the doors and even took down their big "OPEN NIGHTLY GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS" signs.

I have no idea what it will look like or their timeline on this, but I suppose if there's going to be a strip club on Georgia, it might as well be a decent-looking one. Who knows, maybe the place is even going a bit upscale! They did do interior renovations maybe a year ago, after all.

Here's the before version of their facade, with the sign.

El Chucho owners opening new cocktail bar on 18th Street

If you like El Chucho, the great Mexican food and cocktail spot at 11th and Lamont, you may need to venture to Adams Morgan. Co-owners Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks are opening a new spot, Bar Charley, at 1825 18th Street NW, in the old Cajun Experience space.

While some cocktail bars can set you back, one of the ideas for Bar Charley is reasonably priced drinks: the Post reports that a rotating menu of classic cocktails like the Sazerac, Jack Rose and Old Fashioned for $8, plus a drink called an Orange Crush with house-infused orange vodka, and on-tap Mai Tais and Suffering Bastards for $7. You may recall that El Chucho has on-tap margaritas, and they are tasty, so I anticipate these on-tap drinks will be the same way.

The place looks pretty great too, Eater has a photo gallery of the inside.

Food-wise, they'll have small plates like shrimp and pork belly dumplings and a marrow and anchovie crostini, which Greenbaum tells the City Paper will be "our elote," after the delicious corn at El Chucho covered in herbs, cheese and cream.

There's a big roof deck too, plus a big wine list starting at $6 a glass, and beer ranging $4 Schlitz tallboys to a $24 pumpkin beer.

Here's their Yelp page, looking like good reviews so far.

Today is the Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance; what are your memories from that day?

Today is the 12th anniversary of September 11, a day that changed many lives. DC Government's Serve DC, the office that encourages volunteerism, is helping to mark the day with a number of campaigns marking the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

For one, they had volunteers at a few Metro stations around town staffing #ThankUniforms booths, where people can make their own honor cards to thank first responders, veterans and their families and share them on social media.

They're also promoting an online volunteer fair, where people can go and find opportunities to volunteer in town.

It's nice to see something like this from the city on a day that was frightening, emotional and really changed the world.

I'm going to share my 9/11 story here, and encourage you to do so in the comments. It's kind of cathartic, and I like hearing other people's stories.

I was a student at GW on 9/11 and was woken up when my mom left a message on my answering machine checking in with me (those still existed.) There were also anti-World Bank and IMF protests scheduled around then, which happen basically on campus, so I thought she was referring to that and fell back asleep. A bit later my roommate woke me up and told me to come watch the TV. It was shocking. 

Not having any family or friends in New York at the time, I went to find a way to get back in touch with my parents as the phone lines were busy. I saw a kid in the hall with a cell phone (still somewhat uncommon then) and asked to borrow it, but it was still busy. Then I went to a friend's room and was able to connect to the internet and I used my GW email to contact my uncle, who was online a lot. 

From then, I headed to the school newspaper where I worked, the GW Hatchet, to see what I could do. The walk across campus to the newspaper's office was one of the only times I've been legitimately scared in DC, as it just seemed like something could happen at any time. Along the way a young man rode by on his bike yelling something in a foreign language, which added to the tension. I also remember it being strangely quiet, as planes had been grounded and there wasn't much traffic on campus -- unusual, since Foggy Bottom is right in the middle of the city.

At the office, they basically said "go out and talk to people." One of the first people I talked to on campus was a student whose sister worked at the Gap store in basement of the World Trade Center, but she got out safely and contacted a relative. There were also a lot of office workers on campus, ironically based on my morning phone call, from the IMF, World Bank and other downtown offices that had been evacuated after the attacks -- it was unclear at the time what the targets were, so everyone was being cautious. I chatted with a few, they were basically just milling around, drinking coffee, sitting on benches outside dorms and looking stunned.

Classes had been canceled, and I heard a number of rumors from students, things like bomb threats on campus and a ridiculous one that GW had evacuated the basketball team to Virginia. I didn't believe it, as if that were the first thing GW wanted to protect, but figured I should check it out. I went to the athletic department office, across the street from the Smith Center basketball arena, and a single staffer was in the office with the lights turned off, looking at his computer. I asked him about the rumor and he said no, they're practicing across the street. I went outside I saw a few basketball players, which quashed that rumor.

At some point I went back to the newspaper office to update while other Hatchet staffers had headed across the bridge to photograph and report on the attack on the Pentagon. I went to GW's housing office to talk to an administrator. I later learned that the person I spoke to had a close relative die in the World Trade Center. Then I went to administration building to speak to GW's media person to talk about the university's response and plans going forward.

I must have eaten at some point, and wrote that story and a few others up for the Hatchet. It seems the main article isn't loading properly, but two others I wrote or co-wrote are. At the time, many people were comparing the attacks to Pearl Harbor, and I wrote a piece looking at GW's response to Pearl Harbor. Interestingly, they only mentioned the attack once in passing, mainly focusing on the responses. I also wrote a sadder piece about GW alumni among the victims, including the World Trade Center's head of security.

I must have gone back to my room and watched TV and maybe slept a bit, but later that night I wasn't sleepy and started to wander around campus. The DC National Guard had been deployed, so it was strange to see camouflage Hummers parked on corners downtown, and I chatted with some of the soldiers. A few days later, other seemingly scary incidents happened, like one where a truck drove up a closed road at the Pentagon. The drivers had UAE passports and a number of various visas and real and fake ID cards, including GW student IDs. As far as I know, nothing came of that, but it's indicative of the heightened concerns about security.

Anyway, that was long. That's my story, what's yours?

Trivia night at Looking Glass on Thursday to benefit the Petworth Community Market

If you like beer, trivia or farmer's markets, you're in luck: on Thursday starting at 7, the Looking Glass Lounge is hosting a trivia night to benefit the Petworth Community Market. The market, which takes place every Friday from 4-8 pm at 9th and Upshur, is one of the few that happen during the week.

Some of the questions will be fruit- and vegetable-related, and there's a suggested $10 donation, with the money going to pay for equipment, staff and more for the market.

So bone up (ha) on your fruits and veggies and get to Looking Glass!

Here's more details from their Facebook event:

Put your fruit and veggie knowledge to the test at the first-ever Petworth Community Market TRIVIA NIGHT! 

What vegetable's name means "the large pearl?"
Are eggplants a fruit or a vegetable?
Thursday, September 12 

at the Looking Glass Lounge (3634 Georgia Ave NW)
Sign-in opens at 6 / Trivia starts at 7 

$10 suggested donation 

Funds raised at trivia night will help pay for equipment, staff, and bonus dollars at the Petworth Community Market.

Meridian Pint wins slow food award

Meridian Pint, the American craft beer bar and restaurant that aims to get as much of its food from local farmers as possible, has just won an award -- the amusingly named Snail of Approval from Slow Food DC. Nice to see them being awarded, I've always liked that place and their food does seem healthier than other spots.

Meridian Pint's neighbor Maple previously won the award.

Meridian Pint is located at 3400 11th Street NW and Maple is at 3418 11th Street NW.
                                                           

Slow Food DC Announces Snail of Approval Winners  

Slow Food DC unveiled today the 2013 Snail of Approval award recipients. All winners will be recognized in the Third Annual Snail of Approval Awards Party at Jackson 20 Restaurant and Tavern in Old Town, Alexandria on Sunday, September 22. Slow Food DC celebrates 84 total number of winners this year.

Slow Food DC (SFDC) Snail of Approvals recognize eateries and artisans who contribute good, clean, fair food to our community and spread awareness of the Slow Food philosophy and those establishments who support it. The award is SFDC’s way of acknowledging providers who are transforming the quality, authenticity, and sustainability of the food we eat and the beverages we drink in the City of Washington, DC and surrounding areas.

Nominations are examined by: the degree to which the establishment’s activities are aligned with the Slow Food DC mission in promoting and celebrating local, seasonal, and sustainable food sources; how much it is working to preserve the culinary traditions of the region’s ethnically and culturally diverse populations; and how it is supporting the right of all people to enjoy good, clean, fair food.  There is no limit to the number of establishments that can receive the Snail of Approval.

Tickets to the awards event at Jackson 20 Restaurant and Tavern are on sale now: $48 for Slow Food members, $55 for non-members. See http://snail3.eventbrite.com for tickets and http://www.slowfooddc.org/snail-of-approval-directory   for more about the program, winners, and celebration.

2013 Additions to the Snail of Approval Winners:

• Green Hat Gin
• Green Pig Bistro
• Hometown Harvest
• Meridian Pint
• Rappahannock Oyster Co.
• Relay Foods
• Smith Meadows
• South Mountain Creamery
• Vermilion
• Vigilante Coffee Company

About Slow Food DC

The Slow Food DC (SFDC) chapter is a community that promotes and celebrates local, seasonal, and sustainable food sources; works to preserve the culinary traditions of the region’s ethnically and culturally diverse populations; and supports the right of all people to enjoy good, clean, fair food.

SFDC represents the national capitol area, including Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland. Members come from a wide variety of professions and backgrounds. SFDC organizes dinners, tastings, tours, lectures, and community outreach events providing SFDC members an opportunity to explore the richness of our region’s culinary heritage in addition to the diverse array of food and drink from around the world represented in our foodshed. Slow Food DC’s goal is to connect eaters with the biodiverse and sustainable food producers, as well as increase public awareness of slow eating.

The North Face in Georgetown offering free bikes for college students

You always spot interesting stuff outside DCUSA. The other day I was walking past and noticed a couple of orange and white fixed-gear bikes with big North Face logos on them.

A college-aged girl was unlocking hers and I asked her about it: she said it was a deal where The North Face gives them a free bike for the semester with the caveat that they have to post pictures of the bike on social media -- so basically it's a free bike for free advertising. Seems like a pretty awesome deal for young people.

The bike also has the address for the Georgetown store on it, 3333 M Street NW. It's a pretty interesting idea, but the first time I've spotted them around the area.